2023 Recruiting Thread

[Pudge]

disappointed in who's being recruited... I get that Mora wants to keep the CT kids home but come one man you can't just hand out offers to the best players in the CIAC who are FCS talents at best.

what is your evaluative credential? Let's cut your BS and trust professional coaches. AH

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

what is your evaluative credential? Let's cut your BS and trust professional coaches. AH

Totally agree - I trust this staff knows how to allocate their scholarships. These visits can turn into no offers, PWO offers, partial scholarship offers, and full offers.

What is obvious is that the Mora camp is fully aware that social media is important in terms of getting/staying relevant and so the posting of every little bit of content is drawing more and more reaction by its followers and people on the Boneyard.

 

[Pudge]

Totally agree - I trust this staff knows how to allocate their scholarships. These visits can turn into no offers, PWO offers, partial scholarship offers, and full offers.

What is obvious is that the Mora camp is fully aware that social media is important in terms of getting/staying relevant and so the posting of every little bit of content is drawing more and more reaction by its followers and people on the Boneyard.

back to the BEST PRACTICES in a Production role. Bringing in talent; selling product; gaining transactions. Always be talking and networking. At an early stage, there is no time to waste ... touch all the bases. You never know the happy accidents that can happen. We are also AIMING super high with some of these guys; but they did come to our campus last weekend.

What's different? For about the 4th time ... Mora is trusting individual assistant coaches with set regional responsibility relationships & roster positional ownership. Like? It is Sammis who is seeking the PWO candidate. With Randy (and then Corey) Edsall, it seemed everything was super tightly controlled. This is decentralized offer power to the young assistants. Plus a office of like 8 other guys working the film and searching.

 

[huskymedic]

Totally agree - I trust this staff knows how to allocate their scholarships. These visits can turn into no offers, PWO offers, partial scholarship offers, and full offers.

FWIW: There are technically no “partial scholarships” in FBS football. Can a PWO receives academic scholarship assistance - sure, but FBS is 85 full scholarships.

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

FWIW: There are technically no “partial scholarships” in FBS football. Can a PWO receives academic scholarship assistance - sure, but FBS is 85 full scholarships.

Good catch - yup - that was my point.

 

[Exit 4]

disappointed in who's being recruited... I get that Mora wants to keep the CT kids home but come one man you can't just hand out offers to the best players in the CIAC who are FCS talents at best.

A few thoughts....
i) its the first of three junior days....more to come
ii) love that we are recruiting in new places....like SFA in MD and have been able to return to a talent rich state like NJ
iii) size....lot of size here considering they are just juniors
iv) i'm not at all worried that Mora is suddenly going to lose all his football senses and load this team up with local kids....he's walking a line here which is the right thing to do.
v) get use to a new way of operating....unlike the prior regime, Mora wants as many kids on campus as possible and reserves the right to bring kids on and then decide on the scholarship (or the slotting of the scholarship (not all offers are commitable)). the prior regime strongly preferred to only bring kids on campus they knew they wanted...which means more potential mutual good fits and relationship building with HS coaches were missed.
vi) while you always try every which way, I think in the long run most of our best recruiting opportunities will come to us on the quick in late Nov, early Dec when good three star kids find themselves in limbo during coaching changes and/or when we pounce on late developers. so many programs now fill a majority of their class spots by Sept, before senior tape, leaving few seats for the late developer. Finding those overlooked late developers should be where UConn bags its best players.... In other words, recruiting for 2023 will largely be defined not by junior days, but by those 3 weeks between Thanksgiving and 12/15.

 

[Pudge]

A few thoughts....
i) its the first of three junior days....more to come
ii) love that we are recruiting in new places....like SFA in MD and have been able to return to a talent rich state like NJ
iii) size....lot of size here considering they are just juniors
iv) i'm not at all worried that Mora is suddenly going to lose all his football senses and load this team up with local kids....he's walking a line here which is the right thing to do.
v) get use to a new way of operating....unlike the prior regime, Mora wants as many kids on campus as possible and reserves the right to bring kids on and then decide on the scholarship (or the slotting of the scholarship (not all offers are commitable)). the prior regime strongly preferred to only bring kids on campus they knew they wanted...which means more potential mutual good fits and relationship building with HS coaches were missed.
vi) while you always try every which way, I think in the long run most of our best recruiting opportunities will come to us on the quick in late Nov, early Dec when good three star kids find themselves in limbo during coaching changes and/or when we pounce on late developers. so many programs now fill a majority of their class spots by Sept, before senior tape, leaving few seats for the late developer. Finding those overlooked late developers should be where UConn bags its best players.... In other words, recruiting for 2023 will largely be defined not by junior days, but by those 3 weeks between Thanksgiving and 12/15.

my only quibble is on the "late developer" side. This is entirely positional. For some playmaker positions, you totally target early and keep steady stream of interest/affection from early the year through November into NLOI day. Quarterback: UCONN watches the maneuvering of about 45 other programs; decide on a good solid handful and watch for happy accidents. Kids that got stepped over by the berry berry bigs that want to compete for starting QB playing big games. On Offensive Line, I almost want to insist on seeing their senior work and development; as you also are on the look out for kids growing inches and gaining 20-30 pounds with muscle.

Mora has touched big numbers; far beyond previous.

 

[Exit 4]

my only quibble is on the "late developer" side. This is entirely positional. For some playmaker positions, you totally target early and keep steady stream of interest/affection from early the year through November into NLOI day. Quarterback: UCONN watches the maneuvering of about 45 other programs; decide on a good solid handful and watch for happy accidents. Kids that got stepped over by the berry berry bigs that want to compete for starting QB playing big games. On Offensive Line, I almost want to insist on seeing their senior work and development; as you also are on the look out for kids growing inches and gaining 20-30 pounds with muscle.

Mora has touched big numbers; far beyond previous.

I'm just of the view that in broad terms its very hard for a non P5 program, particularly one lacking recent success to pull in a ton of those well developed juniors that have all the offers, all the attention, all the opportunity. Not saying we can't get any, but it stands to reason that naturally it has to be more difficult and less likely.

Late bloomers is what makes college football unpredictable. Late bloomers is were we find difference makers that will elevate this program. Late bloomers are the guys that P5 programs never scout (whoops!!!) because they already filled their class of 25 by mid October.

Conversely, I have seen a lot of kids that are the opposite, junior studs and then watch the senior tape and its the same or less impressive as the junior tape. I find a lot of middling and bottom P5 programs have those kids (we have had some too). The very top P5 schools wont put up with those kids, so I dont think it happens as much there....they cut those kids before they sign....and the media never gives them crap for it.

 

[ScottVib]

Honestly I think a big chunk of the guys being offered that have many offers from bigger name programs are mostly relationship building for future transfer portal opportunities. Already having a rapport if the player feels the need to move on for more playing time can pay dividends. If the guy accepts then great, but I don't think they are spending a huge amount of time or resources on guys who don't seem "likely." More laying the groundwork, sending the occasional text to check in, call once in awhile and building the relationship with the player for a future in the portal (and also with the coach who can help clue you in/steer the under-recruited gems too you)

 

[huskymedic]

Lakeland Florida 6-2 220lb DB/LB RJ Kelly. UConn offered back @ the end of January.

 

[huskymedic]

Jayden Bass is a 6-5 295lb OL from Springfield Central High School in Springfield MA. Other offers from Akron, Army, Buffalo, CMU, EMU and UMass

Highlights

 

[huskymedic]

TJ McMillen is a 6-3 270lb DL/OL from St Francis High School in Wheaton Illinois. McMillen currently holds 20+ FBS offers.

Highlights

 

[huskymedic]

Jayden Davis is a 6-2 175lb DB/WR from Collins Hill High School, Suwanee, Georgia. Louisville Commit (2/1/22) @ time of offer.

Highlights

 

[huskymedic]

NJ TE/DL Will Dixon headed to Blair Academy for PG Year. Will was a Akron commit, decommitted and held a UConn offer for 2022 by Jim Mora. Visited campus and had a home visit from Marinelli/Barthel.

 

[huskymedic]

Logan Blake is a 6-7 215lb WR/TE from Delaware Valley Regional High School in Frenchtown, NJ headed to the Hun School for a PG year. Other offers from Rutgers.

 

[huskymedic]

Tommy Kinsler is a 6-6 330lb OL/DL from Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala Florida. Other offers from Alabama A&M, Ball State, Charlotte, Florida, Florida A&M, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami (FL), Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, Tennessee, UCF and USF.

Highlights

 

[huskymedic]

Hopkins School (New Haven) Athlete Pearson Hill (was up in Storrs beginning of May):

 

[huskymedic]

Harrisburg PA DB/WR w/ UConn offer:

 

[huskymedic]

Ayobami Tifase is a 6-5 300lb DL from Concordia Prep School in Baltimore MD headed to Myrtle Beach Collegiate Prep in South Carolina for a PG year. Other offers from AIC, Alderson Broadus, Frostburg State University, Millersville University, Missouri and Shippensburg University and Virginia State University. Ayobami was up in Storrs the beginning of March.

Highlights

 

[huskymedic]

2023 ATH Pearson Hill transferring from Hopkins School (New Haven CT ) > Choate-Rosemary Hall (Wallingford CT):

 

[Jimdish255]

Just curious what anyone's objective read might be on this guy. I get it's just a highlight tape and the competition looks sketchy. But he replied to our Coaches on Twitter and I liked the highlights.

D'Aren Armster on Hudl

Watch D'Aren Armster's videos and highlights on Hudl. More info: Mansfield High School - Varsity Football / DT, NG / Class of 2023 / Mansfield, TX

www.hudl.com

 

[huskymedic]

St Thomas More (CT) in the house for Spring Ball:

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]

St Thomas More DB MarShawn Ferguson: